On September 26,
2007, at 1033 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-301T, N8341G,
sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain about 7 miles west
of Defiance, Ohio. The pilot, the sole occupant, received fatal
injuries.

The 14 Code of
Federal Regulations Part 91 flight departed the Campbell Airport (C81),
Grayslake, Illinois, at 0912, and was en route to Findlay Airport
(FDY), Findlay, Ohio. Surface weather observations indicated
that visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the
accident. The flight was on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight
plan.

Radar track data
indicated that the airplane was in cruise flight about 7,000 feet mean
sea level (msl). At 1032:27, Toledo Approach Control instructed the
pilot to descend from 7,000 feet to 3,000 feet msl, and the pilot
acknowledged the descent instructions at 1032:31.

The Toledo
Approach Control's last radar contact with the airplane was at 1032:53,
and the airplane was about 6,500 feet msl. Toledo Approach Control
reported that the pilot made no distress call and he did not indicate
that the airplane was experiencing any mechanical difficulty.

A construction
crew was installing a drainage culvert on Whetstone Road,
located about 7 miles west of
Defiance,
Ohio, on the day of the accident.
The witnesses reported that rain showers had moved through the area a
few minutes prior to the accident. Low-level gray clouds were in the
area all morning, with darker clouds to the east at the time of the
accident.

They could hear
the airplane when it was in the clouds for about a minute with the sound
of the engine getting louder and louder. Two of the witnesses observed
the airplane when it descended out of the clouds. The airplane was
traveling from the southeast to the northwest. The airplane was in about
a 45-degree nose down attitude as it was descending, and the airplane
was spinning rapidly.

The oscillating
engine noise grew increasingly louder as it descended, and it appeared
that the airplane was missing part of one of its wings. The witnesses
reported that the airplane suddenly nosed straight down and impacted the
ground in a steep, nose down attitude.

The pilot was a
57-year-old private pilot with single-engine and instrument airplane
ratings. He held a third-class medical certificate that was issued in
December 2006. He had a total of about 1,949 hours of flight time. He
completed a biennial flight review on March 4, 2007. He had flown about
52 hours in the accident airplane in the last 90 days, and 17 hours in
the accident airplane in the last 30 days.

The airplane was a
single-engine Piper PA-32R-301T with a Lycoming 300-horsepower
TIO-540-S1AD engine. The engine was overhauled on August 15, 2006, and
had about 255 hours since the major overhaul at the time of the
accident. The last annual maintenance inspection, conducted on August
17, 2007, indicated that the airplane had a total time of 3,720 hours.
The estimated total time on the airplane at the time of the accident was
about 3,747 hours.

The National
Weather Service (NWS) Surface Analysis Chart for 1100 depicted a cold
front to the west of the accident site. The station models on the
Surface Analysis Chart closest to the accident site depicted a cyclonic
shift in the wind between Indiana and
Ohio on either
side of the cold front. Sky cover was broken to overcast along the route
of flight, with several stations reporting visibility restriction in
rain, mist, and haze. Temperatures ranged from the 50's degrees
Fahrenheit (F) over Iowa and Illinois behind
the cold front to the low 70's degree F across southern
Indiana
and Ohio
ahead of the cold front.

Defiance Memorial
Airport (DFI) was located approximately 5 miles northeast of the
accident site. The airport was equipped with an Automated Surface
Observation System (ASOS) and reported the following weather conditions
surrounding the time of the accident:

The Geostationary
Operations Environmental Satellite number 12 (GOES-12) data depicted an
enhanced area of clouds over northeastern and southern Ohio associated
with cumulonimbus type clouds to the west and southwest of the accident
site, with a general northeast-to-southwest band of low- and mid-level
clouds extending over the region with the accident site located near the
leading edge of the band of mid-level clouds. The GOES-12 depicted that
a band of cumulus clouds was over or in the immediate vicinity of the
accident site at the time of the accident.

The closest NWS
Weather Surveillance Radar-1988, Doppler (WSR-88D) was located
approximately 55 miles west of the accident site. The WSR-88D base
reflectivity images depicted a narrow line of echoes oriented in a
northeast to southwest direction developing and moving eastward through
the period.

The line moved
across DFI at 1019. At 1031, reflectivities of 25 to 30 decibels (dBZ)
(very light - light to moderate turbulence and with possible lightning)
were over the flight track of N8341G, with the maximum echoes of 45 dBZ
(very strong turbulence with possible lightning) located 5 miles
southwest of the accident site.

The next scan at
1037, depicted the line of echoes immediately east of the accident site
with an echo of 35 dBZ (light to moderate) located 1-mile
east-southeast, and a cell of 50 dBZ ("intense" with severe turbulence,
lightning) located approximately 3 miles south-southwest of the accident
site. The images between 1031 and 1037 showed echoes of 25 to 35 dBZ or
moderate intensity echoes along the flight path.

At 1031, the echo
over the flight track depicted reflectivities of less than 5 dBZ (weak),
with the maximum echo of 40 dBZ (strong) located approximately 4 miles
southwest. The WSR-88D spectrum width product at 1032:18 depicted an
area of shear between 12 to 24 knots along the last know position of the
accident airplane and the accident site, and it indicated significant
wind velocities along the flight track.

The airplane
impacted the top edge of a drainage embankment that was between a
cornfield and Whetstone Road. The airplane impacted the
clay soil on a heading of about 240 degrees magnetic. The coordinates of
the main wreckage site were 41 degrees 15.715 minutes north latitude and
084 degrees 28.594 minutes west longitude.

The crush of the
leading edges of both wings and the crush of the fuselage indicated an
impact angle that was consistent with 80-degrees nose down, inverted
attitude. The leading edges and main spars of both wings were crushed
and bent aft. The impact of the wings created a ground scar about 8 - 12
inches deep. The front of the engine and propeller were found about four
feet beneath the surface.

The outboard
section of the left wing was found about 0.6 nautical miles (nm) from
the main wreckage on a 133-degree magnetic bearing. The coordinates of
the left wing section were 41 degrees 15.330 minutes north latitude and
084 degrees 27.915 minutes west longitude. Small pieces of the airplane
were also found near the left wing section.

The airplane
wreckage was removed from the field and taken to a hangar for
inspection. Fuel was found pooled in the soil when the engine was
extracted from the clay soil. The inspection of the engine revealed that
the case halves were separated at the crankshaft flange, and the
crankshaft and number 1 connecting rod and journal were exposed.

The crankshaft was
bent to the right about 45 degrees. The front end of the camshaft was
broken off about 7.5 inches aft of the gear. The impact damage to the
number 1 and 2 cylinders exposed both connecting rods. The engine could
not be rotated. The dual magneto remained attached to the accessory but
was loose at the base and could be rotated.

The left side
magneto tower was separated. The aft side of the vacuum pump was
separated and the fractured pump vanes were exposed. The remainder of
the vacuum pump was removed from the engine and the shear shaft was
intact. The fuel servo was fractured at its mount and the throttle and
mixture settings could not be determined.

Visual inspection
of the propeller revealed that blade "A" exhibited extensive leading
edge gouges, blade twist to low pitch, and chordwise scratching. Blade
"B" exhibited leading edge gouges near the blade tip and chordwise
scratching. Blade "C" was bent forward at its mid-span and it exhibited
spanwise scratching.

The fuselage was
fragmented. The belly of the aircraft remained attached to the main spar
box, which included the rear cabin floor, rear baggage floor and the
forward cockpit floor. The instrument panel, including the tee bar,
rudder pedal assemblies and the forward cabin door comprised a separate
section of the wreckage. All radios and the majority of the instruments
were destroyed. The control columns were separated, and all handles on
the pilot and co-pilot's control yoke were broken off. The rudder pedal
torque tube on the pilot's side was broken in half just outboard of the
inboard pedal. The throttle quadrant was pushed forward into the
instrument panel. The pilot's attitude gyro was found crushed and
broken. The inspection of the gyro's rotor and rotor housing revealed
rotational scoring.

The left wing
separated from the main spar about 93 inches (at the upper spar cap) and
84 inches (at the lower spar cap) outboard of the wing root. The inboard
section of the left wing was crushed aft starting at the wing root
leading edge and continued outboard for 93 inches. This section of
leading edge was crushed aft and exposed the main spar. The main spar
was bent aft 30 degrees starting about 48 inches outboard of the wing
root.

The upper spar
cap, at the fracture, was bent upwards at about a 45-degree angle. The
fracture surface was clean and granular. The lower spar cap, at the
fracture, was bent upward at about a 10-degree angle. That fracture
surface was also clean and granular. The outboard 108 inches of the left
wing was located about 0.6 nm west of the main wreckage.

The outboard 108
inches of the wing broke upwards at the fracture surfaces. They were
clean and granular in appearance. Aileron cable continuity was
established from the aileron bell crank to the chain and sprocket
assemblies in the cockpit.

The right wing
remained attached to the fuselage and the main spar box. The leading
edge between the wing root and the right main gear was crushed aft.
Aileron cable continuity was established from the aileron bell crank to
the chain and sprocket assemblies in the cockpit.

The empennage was
separated from the fuselage just forward of the rear bulkhead. Elevator
cable continuity was established from the balance weight forward to the
tee bar assembly in the cockpit. The anti servo trim tab assembly and
connecting rod remained attached to the tab and rear bulkhead. The jack
screw measured 12 threads or 1 3/8 inches, which equated to a neutral to
a slight nose up position. Rudder cable continuity was established
between the rudder bell crank and the rudder bar assembly in the
cockpit.

An autopsy of the
pilot was conducted at the Lucas County Coroner's Office,
Toledo, Ohio, on September 28, 2007. The "Cause of
Death" was noted as "Multiple Blunt Trama (Immediate)." A Forensic
Toxicology Fatal Accident Report was prepared by the FAA Civil
Aeromedical Institute. The results were negative for carbon monoxide,
cyanide, and ethanol. Metoprolol was present in the kidney and liver.

The pilot's
third-class medical certificate included a restriction that stated, "Not
valid for any class after December 31, 2007." The pilot was required to
submit to cardiovascular evaluations at 12-month intervals beginning on
December 1, 2007, in order to maintain his medical certificate.

The accident
flight was the first leg of an "Angel Flight." Angel Flight provides
free air transportation for charitable and medical needs. The pilot was
en route to FDY to pick up a patient to transport him/her to a medical
facility. The pilot's flight logbook indicated that the pilot had flown
about 23 volunteer Angel Flights in the last 3 years.